US EPAThe federal Environmental Protection Agency is the lead in dealing with the Superfund site. Congress has designated them with the responsibility to solve the problem.

PRPPotential Responsible Parties include successors to the perpetrators of the Waste Pits. These include International Paper, and Waste Management.

US CONGRESSMost legislators whose district includes the San Jacinto River, have expressed the need to remove the Waste Pits. This includes Congressmen Gene Green, Brian Babin, Ted Poe and others.

HARRIS COUNTYCounty Attorney Vince Ryan led a lawsuit to make the Responsible Parties pay for remediation of the site. He won a $29.2 million dollar judgement to be spent on environmental improvements in the area.

SJRC/THEAA Citizens movement, led by previous Highlands resident Jackie Young, has been the leading voice to have the Waste Pits totally removed. She heads San Jacinto River Coalition, and the new Texas Health and Environmental Alliance, Inc.

KEEPITCAPPEDA Citizens Group named San Jacinto Citizens Against Pollution located in Baytown has a web site espousing its belief that a permanent cap is the best solution. Thomas Knickerbocker is their attorney, but the leadership is anonymous.

San Jacinto River Waste Pits

July/August 2019

Who is involved in the San Jacinto River Waste Pits Superfund?

FREE Take One

EPA sets next Community Meeting for Sept. 24

Continued Overleaf

EPA Project Manager is Gary Baumgarten, seen here at a previous Update Meeting. He will be present to report on the current status of work at the San Jacinto River Waste Pits site.

Public Meeting in Highlands

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), in cooperation with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ), Federal, State and Harris County agencies, local officials and industry, invite you to attend the Community Meeting for the San Jacinto River Waste Pits Superfund site.

During the meeting an update will be provided on current site activities and the cap inspection data.The meeting will be held on Tuesday, September 24, 2019 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the Highlands Community Center, 604 Highland Woods Drive, Highlands, Texas 77562.

Superfund News renewed for third year

News about the clean-up efforts at the San Jacinto River Waste Pits site will continue to be reported in this special publication. Harris County Precinct 2 has renewed the contract for publication in its third year.Commissioner Adrian Garcia stated that concern for the environment county-wide will continue to be his top priority for area residents.

On May 7, 2019, EPA, in cooperation with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, Federal, State and Harris County agencies, local officials held a community meeting for the San Jacinto site at the Highlands Community Center in Highlands, Texas. During the meeting, EPA provided an update on current site activities and the updated Community Involvement Plan.

On Friday, July 6, 2018, EPA received a draft work plan from the potentially responsible parties to perform cap testing and maintenance

in the northwest portion of the cap. The work plan addressed 22 “Areas of Interest” identified by the EPA Dive Team during an underwater inspection in June 2018. EPA originally approved the work plan for testing, which was performed on July 9-10, 2018.

The testing determined the strength of the cap where performed maintenance in the northwest area tested the cap and underlying materials for sufficient strength to support the land-based equipment needed to perform the repairs. The test results indicated that the strength is sufficient for the

equipment. Based on this test, EPA approved the remainder of the work plan on July 12, 2018, for the repairs. EPA is scheduled to oversee work beginning Monday, July 16, and will require two weeks to complete, weather permitting.

The work plan includes the placement of geotextile and geogrid in most of the areas to be repaired. These materials will be used in the shallow area that is adjacent to the northwest shore, to a maximum depth of about four feet. There are several depressions in the shelf area, and a

Site update from previous EPA meetingQuarterly report on May 7 in Highlands

EPA Region 6 gets new headAdministrator

David Gray has been appointed Regional Administrator for EPA’s South Central Region (Region 6).

David W. Gray serves as the Acting Regional Administrator for EPA Region 6. His responsibilities include overseeing the states of Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, New Mexico, and Texas, and 66 tribal nations.

Continued Overleaf

Who is involved in the San Jacinto River Waste Pits Superfund?,

USArmy COEThe Army Corps of Engineers has completed Technical Studies on the Environmental impact of 6+ strategies to Cap or Remove the toxic wastes.Their recommendations are included in a 237 page report, favoring a modified cap over removal, but stating either is possible.

TPWDTexas Parks and Wildlife Department was designated by the Legislature, with the help of Representative Wayne Smith, to administer $10 million of the lawsuit settlement funds for environmental projects along the River.

HC PCT 2Pct. 2 received $10 million of the $29.2 million settlement, and plans to use it for environmental projects within 5 miles of the Waste Pits, according to Commissioner Jack Morman.

HARRIS COUNTYVarious departments are involved, including Grants Administration, Pollution Control, and Public Health.

GBFGalveston Bay Foundation maintains a website with information on all of the Waste Pits parties actions, and other matters of interest to the environmental health of the River and Galveston Bay.

OTHERS-- TCEQ-- US Coast Guard-- Private Attorneys-- Houston Chronicle-- City of Baytown-- KRIV ch26-- Star-Courier

New EPA AdministratorContinued from Page 1

Environmental Warnings

Update from May EPA meetingContinued from Page 1

four to six-inch thick layer of sand will be placed into each depression as a bedding layer. The sand bedding layer will help to distribute loads from subsequent geotextile and armor stone that will be placed over the depressions. The geotextile and geogrid will be covered by three-inch to five-inch sized recycled concrete to a minimum thickness of one foot. There are four other small areas in deeper water that will be repaired via boat without fabric.

Current StatusThis agreement marks the

next step in our commitment to the people of Harris County to expedite the remediation of the San Jacinto Waste Pits site. EPA will ensure that the Remedial Design removes all the contamination as quickly and safely as possible and permanently protects the health and safety of the surrounding communities and the San Jacinto River.

An agreement has been reached with the Potentially Responsible Parties (PRPs) for the San Jacinto River Waste Pits Superfund Site to perform a Remedial Design for the site’s selected remedy. The selected cleanup action addresses the highly toxic dioxin contamination at the site in Harris County, Texas. The agreement is a result of expedited negotiations between EPA and PRPs for design of the cleanup. The Remedial Design is estimated to take about 29 months to complete to ensure waste is safely and properly contained during construction and removal. The design work will be performed by the PRPs under the oversight of EPA and Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.

The current quarterly cap inspection and maintenance program will continue while the Remedial Design is being completed. While the Remedial Design is ongoing, the U.S. Department of Justice and EPA will begin negotiations with the PRPs to enter into a Consent Decree regarding construction of the remedy.

Mr. Gray has more than 30 years of experience in EPA’s Region 6 as a leader with oversight for planning and management of the technical and administrative aspects of Region 6 activities.

Before becoming Acting Regional Administrator, Mr. Gray served as the Region’s Deputy Regional Administrator. He also served as Director of External Affairs for 20 years, overseeing the Region’s government and public affairs programs and focusing on policy implementation in the five states that make up Region 6.

During his career, Mr. Gray has gained extensive experience in overseeing crisis communication programs during nationally significant incidents including EPA’s response to Hurricane Katrina, Deep Water Horizon and most recently, Hurricane Harvey.

Did Semi truck accident damage the Waste Pits Cap?

On July 10, 2019, EPA oversaw an inspection of the armored cover at the San Jacinto River Waste Pits Superfund Site to assess any impacts to the site from the June 27th truck crash into the San Jacinto river near the Site. The inspection included a sonar survey to create a map of the river bottom and submerged portions of the armored cover.

A comparison to the previous survey conducted in April 2019 demonstrates the armored cap remains in place and was not affected by the impact of the accident. The survey was conducted by the responsible parties under EPA’s direction and followed the established Site monitoring plan. Survey activities will continue as part of the planned quarterly survey of the site.

-- Gary BaumgartenSuperfund Site Project

Manager

RESCUE WORKERS evaluate the situation on Thursday, as they decide how to find the missing truck driver and remove the trailer of the 18-wheeler. The cab of the truck is completely under water and not seen in this view. Also note the red buoys marking the limits of the Waste Pits Superfund site, which is the land at the bottom of the photo.SEE SIDEBAR STORY FOR RESULTS OF SONAR TESTING.

Jackie Young among 3 that receive Environmental award

Each year the prestigious Terry Hershey Bayou Stewardship Award recognizes members in the community who have demonstrated an outanding commitment to aiding the conservation, preservation, restoration and/or advocacy of Houston’s waterways.This year’s awards went to Kevin Shanley, principal of the global landscape firm SWA Group, and former BPA board chair; Mayor Sylvester Turner, who has taken significant action during his administration for the region’s waterways; andJackie Young, founder of a nonprofit THEA to protect water resources and safeguard public health from the harmful effects of toxic waste in the San Jacinto River Superfund site.County Judge Ed Emmett also received a special recognition award for his commitment to the health of local bayous and waterways.

KEVIN SHANLEY, SYLVESTER TURNER, AND JACKIE YOUNG RECEIVED THE TERRY HERSHEY BAYOU STEWARDSHIP AWARD THIS YEAR.

Report on Sonar Testing of Cap after semi accident